Caroline Flint has been appointed shadow communities secretary in Ed Miliband’s first cabinet – one of three former housing ministers in the shadow team. Flint – who was housing minister in 2008 – will be shadowing Eric Pickles, the architect of the localism agenda.<br> <br> Former housing ministers Yvette Cooper and John Healey are shadow foreign secretary and shadow health secretary respectively, while Cooper’s husband Ed Balls is shadow home secretary and Alan Johnson is shadow chancellor.